


ESC High School AU

by real_moorhen_hours



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Friendship, Hanging Out, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Pining, Stupidity, cute sweet good ol romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2020-09-29 13:56:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20437145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/real_moorhen_hours/pseuds/real_moorhen_hours
Summary: Eurovision people, wow they're in high-school now, drama ensues, you know the drill.(If it sucks, it's cause a bit of it was written over a year ago. None of this is supposed to reflect real events. It is 100% fiction. If you're in this fic and you're not comfortable with it, hmu in the comments and I'll delete it or just the chapters with you in it)





	1. The Prince of Roses & The Mountain King - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> As I stated before hand, this is all a work of fiction. I write this kinda shit to get me through tough times or whenever I'm on my canal boat and I ain't got no wifi (which is also a tough time but like, less in comparison). Don't expect this to be top quality fanfiction, I'm not a great writer at all. It's purely a stupid story I wrote a year ago (though the next chapter was written 4 months ago). 
> 
> This chapter, from the perspective of Alekseev, is supposed to be a sarcastic take on dramatic fairytale fiction, though i'm pretty sure i've just made a mockery of itself. 
> 
> All that being said, Enjoy.

Once upon a time, outside the mystic music department, the prince of roses stood upon the raised lunch area. He leaned on the fence and gazed at the kingdom around him. A group of clerks (rich kids) walking to the cafeteria, a Lord (teacher) and his servant (random student) talking about the weather and a few galliant knights fighting over their land (a bench seat). A great day it was.

Although what what our prince did not see was the hero he had wished for so long to arrive. A hero that could rescue him from the sorrow of a broken heart (Or the sorrow of being a hopelessly romantic teenager who's all feelings, no balls)

Despairingly, He dropped a single rose off of the balcony, as if all hope was lost. He turned his head to look at the sky. Clouds passed slowly like leaves in an autumn breeze- "Hey!"

The prince heard the familiar voices of his Noble friends. Their call was soothing and gave him temporary happiness. a woman with a red jacket spoke first. "Quit being a hopeless romantic and get your ass down here, Nikita!"

Like a lightning strike, the prince rapidly ran down the stairs. "And stop dropping roses of the balcony, princess" the tallest lady handed him his rose back.

There were three women in total. Laura the Powerful, A true legend who wears red everyday. Elina the Iconic, a lady with a heart of glitter and gold and Ieva the Adored, a real princess.

"We're off to the library. Come with us and you will feel better!" Ieva exclaimed joyfully. Yes, perhaps the library would be where our prince could find happiness.

The four arrived at the library. Elina and Ieva felt the same magic as they always had, walking though the door. Filomena greeted the quadrio as Laura signed them in. Laura's only job here was to talk wing-man/woman business with Ari, so she ignored the whimsical atmosphere. 

Our prince wasn't bothered about business or phased by magic though, because as soon as he entered, he noticed the mountain of bean bags in the far corner with indulged readers surrounding it. On top of this mountain, was the most beautiful thing the prince had ever seen in his life. A tall man with short black hair, wearing a long, dark coat. He was accessorised with a light flower crown, that showed the entire library the purity that stood utop mount bean bag, His magnificent face buried in a book.

(At this stage, it's best to tell you that this is the same person Alekseev had been crushing on since the start of the term. Just now it's seventy times stronger)

"Impressive, isn't it!" Remarked Elina into our prince's ear, quitely. He nodded and gazed upon the mountain dweller a little more, before turning back to face his friend.

"Yes! i wish i could pull off that jacket with that flower crown like he does!" He replied, not realising she was talking about the mountain. Then he came to terms with what he just said. Did our prince just admit his crush (again)? Elina looked slightly confused for a second, then she rolled her eyes.

"Is this the class two guy you've been going on about?" She asked, arms folded. She looked as is she was demanding an answer, but the prince stuttered getting it out.

"Uhh y...n-no i... uh... mm..." God, our prince stumbled over his words like they were hurdles. Then Laura walked up behind Elina with the expression of an overworked teacher.

"Take a wild guess, Elli! Looks like a vampire? Drop dead gorgeous? Way out of Niki's league?"

"Hey!" The prince was clearly offended by that (dispite it being his own words from a month ago)

Elina glared then spoke again "Ok, ok yes thats him. Well i need to get a book now so if you're done?" and she walked away without waiting for an answer.

Laura and the prince stood there for a second in silence.

"Well she started that conversation," The prince mumbled to himself. Laura stared at him.

"I'll add you and him to the list. His name is Melovin by the way," She told him, before they both departed in different directions.

  
15 Minutes later Our prince was still staring at melovin choosing a book. The more he searched the bookshelves, the closer to the bean bag mountain he got. He was two shelves away from being able to climb the mountain and beg the king to rescue him.

"Niki, niki, stay on task." The prince told himself. over and over as he tried to focus on book hunting. Before long, he had reached the last bookshelf and had never felt more sweaty in his life. If the mountain king wasn't going to save him from his heartache, he could at least chuck him down a mini fan.

The bottom of mount bean bag was surrounded by some of his classmates. Franka was reading a dark romance novel, whilst Sennek had her nose inside a muder mystery book. He also spotted The french couple, known as Madame Monsoir, cuddling up to eachother and reading to one another. Of course, the king of the mountain, Melovin, sat of top reading... is that a thesaurus? Ok then.

Our prince pulled out a book from the shelf and pretended to look curious about it. He didn't dare try to take a peek at Melovin again. He put the book back, forcing an expression of dissinterest, only to pick up another.

"That's a good book, that one." A soft voice called out from the top of the mountain. "I read it a few weeks ago. It's very intense." The prince could not beleive his ears. The mountain king himself had recommended a book! The Prince was astonished! He stared at the King for a moment before saying "O...Oh ok t-thank you!" and smiled. To our princes suprise he smiled back, and returned his gaze to the book, and dispite having no interest in it whatsoever, The Prince decided this was the book to read!

Her Majesty, Ieva, was a Library assistant and was sorting the books on the Non-fiction shelves, she looked over to check on her Prince and cought him mid "conversation" with None other than His Highness, The Mountain King. She turned back to her shelves and mumbled "Go on, Niki!" to herself.

Our Prince sat down by the edge on the mountain and began the first chapter. Truth be told, he wasn't really into intense novels; only sappy romance stuff normally. However, he wanted to finish the book. So as time passed, pages flipped, plot was building and The Prince was totally absorbed. So absorbed in fact he almost missed the end-of-lunch bell. Elina, who was keeping an eye on him, rolled her eyes. "I'll deal with him," she sighed as she began to walk over, but stopped in her tracks.

"Wake up, rosy cheeks, bell's gone" The sound of a soft, deep voice from above him made The Prince jump slightly, whilst he watched The King slide down the mountain with ease. "I'm sure Filomena wont mind us staying, but we might get in trouble with Mr. Sillén."

The Prince laughed at his remark "I think I could stay here for hours!"

"Actually," The Mountain King started "I'm coming back here after school, you should join me."

Our Prince was startled by the invite "Would that be alright with you? I'm sure you're busy, I wouldn't want to distract you or anything..." Nikita trailed off.

"Busy? I was reading a thesaurus, for god sake! These past few weeks have bored me out of my mind! I would love some company!" The King's smile lit up the room and made Our Princes heart jolt. "Please, feel free to be my distraction this afternoon." and he smirked as he turned to leave the room.

Ieva and Elina sqealed behind the bookshelves as he exited, Laura and Ari gave eachother some sort of skeaky look and Our Prince... he simply touched he burning cheekbones and repeated "Rosy Cheeks" to himself...

None of them realised they were now five minutes late for class.


	2. The Prince of Roses and The Mountain King - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more stuff happens, but most importantly there is a cat. A very sneaky cat. Also a horse (mentioned). The best parts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is a change in the quality of writing like in the middle, It's because I wrote the first 3/4 of this chapter 5 months ago, whereas the latter quarter was written about a week ago.

"Good afternoon, Nikita, I know who you're here to see!" Filomena greeted The Prince at the door. "No need to sign in after school hours, Mel will arrive shortly."

"Thank you, miss." The prince smiled at her and walked slowly towards the mountain. It looked as if it had changed slightly. Mount Beanbag, which had originally had only one peak, now had two. Dispite the strange occurrence, Our prince thought nothing of it and simply opened his bag and reached for his book. At that point the door opened again.

"Oh, you're here!" The Mountain King had arrived at his kingdom at last. "My apologies, Sir held me behind to finish some work, please get comfortable" 

"Oh, no worries, I only arrived a few minutes ago" Nikita replied with a smile, as The King approached the mountain

"Please, join me upon the mountain of beanbags, I want to read to you," He told Our Prince, who finally realised; The shift of the mountain must be fate. He was destined to sit amongst beanbags, along with his new friend Mel.. Mélovin? That was his name right?

"Please call me Kostya, Mélovin is just a stage name. Yours is Nikita, Am I right?" They made small talk as they got comfy upon the peaks of the mountain

"Yes, but you can call me Niki if you want," Our Prince was getting used to talking to The King. "What stages have you performed on so far?" 

"Only the stage of my dreams, infront of ever part of my imagination." 

"Huh... should we get started? If you want..."

"Of course! Please feel free to tell me what to do, I have no plans for a while." 

"Ok then, uh... start from Chapter Eight... and read dramatically, I need to feel invested." Our prince told The King.

"Ok then, Your wish is my command!" 

So, for the rest of the hour, The Mountain King read to The Prince of Roses. It was dramatic, as Nikita requested, but amusing in some parts. All in all, the experience was very comfortable and Our Prince felt like he was getting closer to The King. 

Once Kostya had finshed reading out the Acknowledgements dramatically and telling some funny anecdotes, leaving them both in hysterics, they both slid down the mountain. A few beanbags fell down the mountain and they tried to throw them back up, only causing more to fall. As their laughter started to die down, Nikita started to realise how the hour was about to end, and along with it, the fun. He wished for a way to stay with The King for just a little bit longer...

"Hey, Niki, we should get going, it's nearly Four o'clock,"

"Wait! uh, please... come to my place for a while... I still have so many stories to tell you!"

The King thought for a while... The silence was almost killing Our Prince. Then Kostya Smiled. "I'll stay for an hour, I have more stories to tell aswell," And they both left, saying goodbye to Filomena on the way out.

The boys arrived at Nikita's Castle (house) 15 minutes later. As Our Prince took The King's coat and bag, Kostya looked around him. He noticed the abundance of roses that surrounded the living room, which he thought was strange but... endearing. Then he noticed a little grey cat stroll up to him, purring at his leg. The King crouched down and let it's head fall into his open hand. For the next minute or so, he allowed the kitten to climb onto his lap and on his shoulders. At this point, The Prince returned to his living room, witnessed the scene and exclaimed "Thorn, what are you doing on our guest's head?" Thorn looked up at his owner, then grabbed the flower crown on Kostya's head and ran away with it. 

"Thorn! come back, you theif!" Our prince chased his little cat up the stairs, Kostya following right behind. They eventually cornered Thorn in Nikita's bedroom. 

"Thorn, drop the flower crown right now!" Thorn didn't seem to move at all. "Drop it, Thorn!" 

"Thorn... look what I got Thorn!"The mountain king waved a packet of cat food in front of the kitten and like magic, Thorn dropped the flower crown and went back to purring against Kostya's leg. Nikita quickly retrieved the accessory and gave back to The King. 

"Sorry about him, he is a sneaky little bastard," The Prince apologised.

"It's alright, most cats are... nice bedroom by the way!"

"Oh yeah sorry about the mess, we should stay downstairs I think"

"Yeah..." The King had an idea "Last one to the couch has to tell an embarrassing story?"

"Huh, you better be ready to tell it!"

And like a flash, the boys ran through the hallway and down the stairs, as fast as lightning. They skidded around corners and barged eachother around. It was incredibly close, but Our Prince managed to land on the sofa before The King, who slipped up close by and landed face first into a pillow.

"Oh my god, Kostya, are you alright?" Nikita asked him, panicking

"I'm fine!" Kostya started laughing, and eventually so did Nikita. The King pulled himself onto the sofa to begin his story.

"I used to do horse riding, I started about seven years ago but stopped after five years. Why? Well, One time I wanted to take my horse, Wonder, to my crushes house; to make an entrance, you know. She was a white horse and she was beautiful. Unfortunately, as I arrived at her driveway, Wonder got a little bit spooked by her dog and threw me off of her. I only managed to break my arm, but my crush, she just laughed at me and took a picture. Long story short, she threatened to spread the picture if I didn't do what she wanted so I just broke up with her and the picture only got sent to her friends, who also left her. She also said she hated horses so I was really heartbroken..." 

"Oh man, I'm so sorry about her..." Our prince replied to his story

"No it's fine... It reminds me of the story we read today... The prince riding a gorgeous horse to save the princess from her misery,"

"Except the princess became more miserable and there was no brutal murder involved," 

"Haha, yeah, and no demonic shadow creatures,"

"And no Queens or Kings...unless you count yourself," 

"No... I'm no king... I can't control a horse, never mind a kingdom,"

There was a silence

"It's sweet of you that you think of me that way, though," Kostya added, blushing a little. "Anyway, It was a stupid idea. If someone turned up at your house, riding a big white horse, what would you do?"

Nikita replied. "Probably marry them, if you ask me,"

"Well damn, Niki, take your hypothetical horse rider on a date first!" And they both cracked up.

They giggled until they were unable to breathe. Each attempt to recover was broken by the funny looks they gave eachother, triggering another round of laughter. Eventually, they both managed to calm down and the boys stayed silent for a little while. The prince's hand intertwined with The Mountain King's. 

By the time Nikita had realised the fingers in his palm did not belong to himself, Kostya had spoken up."It's almost 5, I should get going,".

"But it's not Five yet, It's Ten to Five. We have ten more minutes!", Our prince protested. 

"My bus arrives at Five, Niki, and they only come every two hours!"   
They still hadn't moved an inch. Their hands were still united, resting upon a cushion. 

Nikita gave in at that one. "Ok, ok, fine, but you will be in the library tomorrow, right?" 

"Absolutely." Kostya responded, confidently. "I'm glad you enjoy my company,".

"And I'm glad you enjoy mine.", The grasp of their palms tightened, slightly, then fell apart as Kostya stood up to grab his coat and bags.  
A few moments later, The prince stood up too open the door for King Kostya. He never skipped an opportunity to be chivalrous.

The mountain king approached the open door and lifted an eyebrow. "Doors open already? I never thought you'd be so happy to see the back of me, Nikita!". 

"It's not a bad angle, to be fair.", Our prince replied, playfully, adding a wink. (So much for chivalry!).

Kostya smiled. "Oh, you flatter me!" There was a breif pause. "I'll see you tomorrow, Niki.".

"Promise?"

"I promise."

The boys stood and stared at eachother. It appeared as if Kostya was leaning forward for something, but hesitated and just waved instead. He walked away from the door and Nikita waved after him. The king turned to look at him, only to wink and keep moving, as Our Prince closed the door.

A few moments later, Nikita performed what may well have been the loudest squeel from a human being in all of history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all already probably know this, but please don't like... make any of the artists in the story aware of this fic. I does make both the author and the artist uncomfortable so it's just better if you don't do that.
> 
> I really do appreciate comments so if you wanna leave one, don't hold back!


	3. The Prince of Roses and the Mountain King - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki trips over the stairs, eats a panini and had a day out on crutches, all thanks to his Mountain King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains:  
\- a brief eurosoap reference  
\- a mathan reference  
\- my favourite tree (cedar)  
\- laura being That Bitch and also the reason i didn't delete this chapter and start over.
> 
> Sorry this took ages to write, sometimes life is good until school slaps you fresh in the face.

"... so I decided to just straight up tell Saara what's up and she just... Niki are you even listening to me?"

It was break time and Laura the Powerful, Ieva the Adored and Elina the Iconic were spilling the beans from the previous day. Our prince of Roses, who would usually be announcing his entire train of thought and the tracks it ran on, was eerily quiet. He wasn't even eating the canteen's quality sausage roll he held so tightly.

"Niki... Niki..."

"NIKITA!"

"Ow! I was listening!" Our prince yelped, jumping at the impact on Laura's hand on his shoulder.

"Then act like it!"

Nikita held his arm and tried to send a death stare Laura's way, but the sight of the entrance to the Library made his attempted frown twitch at the corners. The girls rolled their eyes at the state of him.

"This is definitely about Thesaurus Guy." Ieva remarked, sending a look around the table which the other two returned. "Nikita, we grant you permission to spill the tea!".

The Prince smiled innocently, starting his story with "Well, not much happened, we just spent the end of the day together...". Elina raised her eyebrows, knowing full well that was not the case, and Nikita gave in, telling every detail of his previous day to the girls.

When the bell went off, signalling the end of break time, Our Prince and the girls headed separate ways to their classes. Nikita, trekking the never-ending stairs of the Eastern Block, caught a little glimpse of the Mountain King from outside. He sighed, trying to comprehend his beauty, but Nikita still didn't understand what made this boy so damn attractive.

It was then he learned just how distracting love can be, as he tripped over the final step, feeling as if he were flying. His knee then collided with the floor as he fell face-first through the double doors, into the sea of students.

* * *

The Prince sat in the first aid chair, flinching everytime the medical guy, Mr. Azar, placed any plaster or antiseptic wipe upon his damaged face. He felt humiliated. If the crowd of first years howling at his fall weren't enough to embarrass him, which it did, he had Mr. Azar calling his accident "silly" and the boy on the other first aid chair giggle periodically. (Nikita couldn't actually see him, his view was obscured by the medical guy's hands and the cotton wool taped to his face, but he assumed he was laughing at him). Not to mention, every time our prince lifted his leg in certain ways, he felt an agonising pain in his sprained knee.

"You're all cleaned up now! You may have to stay here for the rest of the day though, if your parents are at work all day." Mr. Azar chimed as he stepped back, and The Prince to just sighed and replied with "Ok sir."

"I have to step out for a minute, but I trust Nathan to make sure you don't trip over anymore stairs... or walk at all.". Nikita did not laugh at his little joke, but the boy on the other chair seemed too. The prince turned around, ready to give this Nathan dude a look of warning, but he was not staring at him, nor the first aid guy. It was his phone he was laughing at. Nikita felt a wave of mild guilt, knowing he had just falsely accused someone of being unkind.

He studied Nathan for a while, trying to work out if he recognised him or not. He had his backpack next to his chair, which was decorated with embroidered badges and pins from different places. On one foot he wore a high-quality walking boot, and on the other, an ice pack was bandaged to his ankle. A few minutes passed and no words were exchanged, but Our Prince was growing curious to find out what exactly Nathan was giggling at. He gathered enough courage to initiate a conversation.

"W... What _are_ you laughing at?" Nikita asked, prompting nathan to look up from his phone and smile.

"Oh, my boyfriend sends me videos of his class doing weird shit. Every time one of us ends up in here, we make sure we never miss a class," he cheerfully replied. "His videos are a lot funnier, that dumbass has always been a class clown, since primary! It's also the reason he ends up in this place so often. He's so stupid, sometimes. It's one of the many reasons I love him."

Nikita thought about that for a moment and smiled. He just liked the possibility that someone could love him for who he is. For his dramatics, for his dreams, for his dumbass personality. He was getting even more curious now. "If you don't mind me asking, what's his name?"

In about fifteen minutes, Our Prince learned so much about Nathan and his boyfriend Manel's relationship. They were childhood friends who met in primary school and harboured their feelings for eachother until three years ago, when they confessed their love for each other during a

holiday together. He learned about the time Manel almost got them both arrested, and the time Nathan made him hyke up a mountain as revenge. They had such a strong and happy relationship, and Nikita loved that about them.

"Anyway, enough about me, do you have a significant other?" Nathan inquired. The Prince thought about it for a moment.

"No, but there is someone I'd like to be my significant other," Nikita replied, blushing slightly.

"And who is it?"

"A boy in my year called Kostya, but you may know him as Mélovin?" Nathan thought about the name for a moment but shook his head. "Oh. Anyway, I'm seeing him at lunch today..." Nikita trailed off. He realised something. He's going to be stuck in this damn chair all lunchtime and the Mountain King isn't going to know where he is. Oh God. All the possible ways Kostya could look disappointed and let down by him flashed before his eyes and dread flooded his body.

"... I _was_ going to see him today in the Library but I guess I'm stuck here now," Our Prince sighed. "Now he's going to think I don't care about him...".

"Listen here," Nathan began. "If I've learned anything from three years of dating, love can create some strange miracles. I think the fact that I nor Manel aren't in a wheelchair is a miracle in itself... but the point is, you make assumptions about how the day will turn out but love can defy those expectations."

"Oh." Nikita wasn't exactly sure if he believed him, but a little bit of hope improved his mindset a little.

A few more moments of silence led Nathan to begin telling some more of his anecdotes. After an hour or so of sharing stories, the door opened and in strided Laura, holding a few sheets of paper and wearing her usual self-assured expression.

"I bring good news and bad news!" She declared. "The bad news is that we have maths homework that I have to give to you. It's not exactly hard, but it's bloody boring!"

Our prince grimaced at the sight of the shapes. Damn Trigonometry! "I'd've thought the teachers would have a little bit of mercy on me," He huffed, gesturing to the bandages and plasters on his knee and face.

"Not Mr. Norton. He's a soulless creature. Doesn't have the programming for that emotion yet!". She set the sheet of unlabelled angles on the table next to Nikita. "The good news is, I've told Ari to tell your little Vampire Crush that you're in here. If he forgets to tell him, i'll break his legs,". The Prince's face lit up. He was going to be able to see the Mountain King after all!

"See, love brings miracles!" Nathan chimed in, as Laura shot him an opposing glare.

"No miracles here, it's just my job. Thanks for babysitting Nikita though, Adventure Boy," She retorted, wiping the smile off The Prince's face as he took offence. "Anyway, I better dash. The canteen does a _mean_ tuna sandwich on a thursday and I do _not_ want to miss out on that. Hasta La Vista, dickweeds!" She yelled, marching out the door, leaving Nathan to chuckle as Nikita rolled his eyes.

Soon enough, the door opened again to a familiar long, black coat. Our Prince smiled brightly as the Mountain King looked around, briefly, to spot him.

"Niki!" Kostya gasped. "What happened to you?"

The Prince covered his eyes in embarrassment, before trying to explain his accident.

"Uhh... I tripped over the stairs... fell into the door... and sprained my knee..." He admitted, with his cheeks growing bright red.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The Mountain King paused to rummage through his bag, then pulled out a small, wrapped up panini. "Here, you must be hungry. Eat this panini."

Nikita held the sandwich in his hands, like it were a gift from the gods. He stared up to Kostya, innocently and cried "Oh no, are you sure?"

"I've already had some lunch. You must eat!"

Nikita smiled and nodded, taking a bite into the panini - and, oh boy, did he think it was a good panini.

"Damn, Kostya, you could make a fortune selling these!" He preached.

* * *

The boys spent their lunch time chatting and telling stories with their new friend Nathan until lunchtime came to an end, when Mr. Azar returned and they agreed that Kostya would assist Our Prince in getting home. The next hour practically flew by, with only hope in his heart about the rest of the day being spent with the Mountain King. He tried to do some of that trigonometry homework, but in the end he just wanted to listen to more of Nathan's anecdotes until the end of the hour, when Mr. Azar gave him his crutches and Mountain King came to collect him.

The way home to Nikita's would have been only twenty five minutes, but due to the crutches and the Prince wanting to take the scenic route, it was going to be a lot longer. He was wondering why, on the day he had battered his own knee, he wanted a day out. Deep down, he definitely knew why. He wanted to spend more time with Kostya but he wouldn't let himself get distracted like that again.

They strolled along the gravel pathway that crackled under their feet, winding around the manor gardens. Grand trees danced gently in the February wind, the many naked Elm branches swaying with the few evergreen Cedar trees, surrounding the whole area besides a picnic spot with a view of the entire manor grounds.

"Can we sit down over there for a second?" The Prince pointed at the empty picnic spot.

"Oh, do you need a break from walking?" Kostya wondered.

"Not particularly, I just want to look at the view." They sat on the grass at the peak of the hill, looking down on the rest of the world.

Down the fairly steep hill, in the near distance, sat a stately manor house, 17th Century and built in white brick which would glow in the sun if it were shining that day. It had a few features that were built some centuries afterwards, such as a large balcony in the centre, but probably added before the house became a heritage site. It was almost like a castle, a smaller one albeit, but something out of a fairytale.

Nikita could imagine royal balls held in these grounds, aristocrats from around the country stepping out from their carriages, towed by gorgeous white horses- oh, now he is thinking about Kostya stepping off of the horse. He is just thinking about Kostya, and staring right at him too. God Niki, please just say something!

"Uhh... the castle- I mean manor is very big, isn't it." He stumbled, trying to keep his eyes away from the Mountain King.

"Castle?" Kostya turned to look at him, confused.

Nikita grew bright red. "Did... did I say that?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to say it."

"You don't need to apologise, I say things I don't mean all the time too." Reassuringly, he turned to directly face Nikita, legs crossed. The Prince did the same.

"Like what? What do you say that isn't true?" Nikita asked, eyes wide and sparkling with curiosity.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy you calling me a king yesterday," He admitted.

"But you are like a king to me! You're a heroic king! You came to my rescue today and protected me on the walk home-"

"Niki, you're strong too. You don't need someone to rescue you!" Kostya raised his voice a little to prove his point. Our Prince was taken aback, slightly. He knew it was a complement but... he felt almost threatened. He knew Kostya didn't know how much he meant to him.

He was probably overthinking it, but the Prince really didn't want to lose him.

"Kostya, listen, you've made every moment of today and yesterday amazing... I don't know how you don't see it... I..." Nikita hesitated. He realised something here. His expression turned sour, tears welling up. Maybe Kostya really didn't feel the same way as Nikita.

Nikita raised his voice a bit more. "Am I annoying? Am I clingy? I'm sorry, Kostya, if I have wasted your time in these last few days... I can leave if-"

"Niki, this isn't about you, you're amazing, you have energy, personality... I don't have that..."

"But you do, I-"

"Niki, listen, you're fucking perfect! It's me, Niki, it's me" Kostya had a tear in his eyes too.

"No, Kostya, it isn't you, it-"

"I'm not good enough for you, Nikita!"

That was it. Nikita was having none of this. Sick of his bullshit, He got into a kneeling position to match Kostya's height. He stared into his heterochromatic eyes with a look of agony painted across his face and raised his voice a final time.

"KOSTYA, SHUT UP! YOU'RE FUCKING FLAWLESS, KOSTYA!" And with that, he had no shout left in him. He began to sob and whisper, grabbing both of the Mountain King's hands with an mighty, agonising grip.

"Don't ever... ever say you're not good enough for me. I really like you, Kostyantin. You're my fucking mountain king and if you dare deny it I will push you down this hill and put you on crutches too!" A weak, little smile appeared on his tearful face and Kostya started to cry too. They pulled each other into a tight hug, sobbing into one another's shoulders.

After a while, Kostya lifted his chin to speak. "Niki?"

"Yeah?"

"When you say you like me... do you mean-"

"Yeah..."

There was a moment of hesitation.

"Good. Me too." Kostya admitted.

The two sat up again, legs crossed on the grass, hands intertwined, looking into each others pink, teary eyes.

"Why do you like me, Niki?"

"Oh shut the fuck up, Kostya." Our prince demanded, as he planted a gentle kiss on his Mountain King's lips to keep him quiet, which he returned.

They sat there, kissing and talking, hand in hand, until the sun went down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I have very little idea of how manor houses and gardens work, you're gonna have to take what I say with a grain of salt.

**Author's Note:**

> Told you it was stupid.


End file.
